


Jive Talk

by randomwriter57



Series: Reigisa Week 2016 [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, Fluff, M/M, ballet is mentioned a lot too, dance au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 07:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5699326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomwriter57/pseuds/randomwriter57
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rei believes firmly that ballet is the most beautiful form of dance. Nagisa's determined to prove otherwise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jive Talk

**Author's Note:**

> Today's fic really got out of hand. Oops?  
> This is a dance AU which I’ve wanted to write for a while. I love dance AUs, especially ballroom ones since ballroom is the type of dance with which I am enamoured. Imagining the Iwatobi boys dancing has taken up a lot of my time recently, so I thought I’d put that to good use! I hope you enjoy this!
> 
> Written for [Reigisa Week](http://reigisaweek.tumblr.com) #3, Day Two: AU.

Dance has always been Rei’s passion. Ever since he was a child, he has loved the precision and grace with which dancers perform on stage and has aspired to be just like them. In particular, ballet catches his attention every time he sees it performed. He has studied the theories and watched all of the professionals. For a few short weeks, he even had the chance to attend lessons. (Though not long after, his mother pulled him out of lessons, telling him it was in his best interests not to continue. He has no idea why.) Even now, he continues to practice as much as he can at home and after school in an empty classroom. He refuses to give up on his passion so easily.

That is why, when he hears about the Iwatobi High School Dance Club a few weeks after his entrance to the school, he decides to check it out. Never in his life has there been a dance club at his elementary or middle schools. This has to be a sign.

There isn’t any sign of life when he reaches the clubroom, a disused classroom on the top floor of the building. Rei checks his watch and, seeing the bell rang only a few minutes ago, decides there’s no harm in arriving early. Besides, he wants to warm up. Stretching out his hand, he slides the door open.

“Oh?”

Inside the room, all of the desks and chairs have been pushed aside to create a large space. Another student stands up straight from where he had been stretching in the centre of the room. Rei recognises his pink eyes and blond hair as belonging to Hazuki Nagisa from his class. They haven’t spoken much before, but he doesn’t seem like the type of person who would be a dancer.

“Ah, sorry, I must have the wrong room,” Rei says. “Sorry for the intrusion-”

“Wait!” Hazuki’s eyes are wide and he has a hand outstretched. He springs back into a casual posture. “Are you looking for the dance club, Ryugazaki-kun?”

Rei blinks. He hadn’t expected that Hazuki would pick up on his intentions this soon. “Yes, that’s what I’m looking for.”

Hazuki brightens, a grin crossing his face. “Perfect! You’ve come to the right place. Come on in, take a seat!”

Perhaps Rei should make a mental note not to judge people by their appearances again. After all, he must have been wrong. Though he would never have guessed that Hazuki was a dancer. He enters the room, leaving the door open behind him. He takes a seat on the edge of the room, not far from the door.

“I didn’t know you danced, Ryugazaki-kun,” Hazuki says. He stands in front of Rei with a smile.

“I’ve never been to lessons,” Rei admits, “but I do practice myself.”

“Oh, that’s cool! It doesn’t matter if you’re a newbie, anyway, since you’ll be in the hands of professionals here.”

“Professionals?” This club didn’t look as though it had much status at all. The club room was tiny and definitely not meant for dancing on. How on earth could they afford a professional coach? Never mind more than one of them.

Hazuki nods. “They should be here soon. So, how much have you taught yourself?”

Rei thinks back to his books. “Mostly simple things like pliés, coupés, elevés-”

“Hold on,” Hazuki interrupts, “those are ballet steps.”

Rei frowns. This shouldn’t be news to Hazuki. “Yes.”

“You’ve been learning ballet.”

“Yes.”

“You were looking for a ballet dance club?”

“I was under the impression this was a ballet dance club.”

Hazuki stares at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. He even clutches his stomach; he’s laughing so hard. Rei doesn’t know what to say or think, other than the fact that he is confused and a little offended. When Hazuki’s laughter dies down, he shakes his head.

“This isn’t a ballet dance club.”

Annoyance spreads throughout him. “Shouldn’t you have written that on the posters, then?”

“Probably.” Hazuki continues to smile, despite Rei’s grumpy appearance. “We’re actually a ballroom dance club.”

Ballroom. _Ballroom_. As graceful as ballroom dancing looks, it was never something which interested Rei. He maintains that ballet is the most beautiful form of dance, so hearing that the one dance club in the school, his only chance at being able to dance in a group, was actually a ballroom club, angers him. Why should ballroom have a club and not ballet? Ballroom dancing isn’t even that popular in Japan.

Not wanting to argue with Hazuki, Rei stands and gathers his things. “I guess I’ll be heading, then.”

“Wait!” Hazuki grabs his arm, making him freeze in place. He looks at Hazuki and sees that he’s no longer smiling. In fact, he actually looks worried. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? It isn’t as though there’s another dance club here.”

“If that’s the case, I’d be better off going to the library to study,” Rei says.

“Or you could stay here,” Hazuki says. “I know this isn’t what you were looking for, but maybe you’ll enjoy ballroom if you give it a shot-”

“Not interested.”

“Please, Ryugazaki-kun!”

“I’m not interested! Ballroom is hardly as beautiful as ballet, in terms of dance. I have no interest in the genre whatsoever.”

Hazuki lets go of Rei’s arm and steps back, looking a little hurt. Rei makes to grab his bag and leave, but before he can turn away, Hazuki speaks again.

“At least stay for one session. There are some dancers in this club who can dance really beautifully. I think you’d like them.”

Rei narrows his eyes. “I apologise, but I must leave.” Without listening to any more of Hazuki’s protests, he leaves the club room. He doesn't notice the people heading towards it from the other direction. For today, he’s had enough of this nonsense.

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, he feels Hazuki’s eyes on him throughout class, but he doesn’t move a muscle. There’s no point in him trying to persuade Rei, now. He already has after-school plans for another disused classroom on the floor below the ballroom dance club’s room. He even makes sure to exit class quickly at the end of the day, hoping that will persuade Hazuki to stop with his staring.

Unfortunately, things do not go as planned.

“Ryugazaki-kun!” Nagisa rushes to Rei’s side in the shoe locker room, ignoring how annoyed Rei looks. “Do you want to watch our practice today?”

“I’m not interested, I told you yesterday.” Rei takes his shoe bag from the locker. “Besides, I already have plans.”

“But Ryugazaki-kun-”

“Please cease your requests.” Rei closes his locker and heads back out into the hallway. In his wake, Hazuki looks sadly at Rei’s locker, defeat in his eyes, before noticing which makes them light up once more.

 

* * *

 

 

The classroom is empty, as promised by the teacher he asked for permission to use it. Taking a hint from Hazuki’s club, he pushes the desks and chairs aside. Setting up his bluetooth speaker on one of the desks, he plays his practice music. Then, he begins.

First, stretches. Then a few basic exercises. After that, he launches into a routine he learnt from online videos. At first, it was incredibly hard to find the right balance and core strength to dance ballet. Even now, he has a little bit of trouble, though he has improved immensely, in his opinion. He continues to dance regardless, swept away by the music and the beauty of ballet.

 

* * *

 

 

Outside the room, where Rei cannot see them, stand Nagisa and his fellow club members.

“That’s the guy you want to recruit?” Makoto says, frowning a little. “But he’s dancing ballet, right?”

“We don’t need someone like that,” Haruka says.

Gou has a thoughtful expression on her face. “He’s not the best, but he’s not bad. I can see him doing ballroom pretty easily.”

Nagisa doesn’t speak. As well as he is known for being chatty, now he has no words. All he knows is that Rei’s dancing is beautiful. It isn’t as graceful as Haruka’s or as perfect as Gou’s, but it still has its own sense of beauty. Rei’s dancing is beautiful, and for the first time, Nagisa feels something pull in his stomach. Desire. He wants to dance with Rei.

 

* * *

 

 

That evening, after both dance practises have ended, Hazuki corners Rei at the train platform, where they both take the same train from. Rei feels exasperation flow through him. This boy just won’t give up.

“I need to talk to you!” he says, determination written across his face.

“I refuse to join your club.”

“But Rei-chan-”

“Rei-chan?!” Rei sputters, whirling round in shock.

“You can call me Nagisa, if you’d like,” Hazuki says, an innocent smile on his face.

Rei looks away, his annoyance raising. “We’re not that close.”

“We can become closer if you come and watch us-”

“I will not. I am not interested in ballroom dancing.”

“Because it’s not as beautiful as ballet?”

“Exactly. Ballroom dancing is graceful, but in the end, it cannot convey emotion and feeling in the same way that ballet can. Anger, passion, grief, all portrayed in a dance. It’s truly beautiful.” As he speaks, Rei remembers some of the ballet DVDs he rented. All of the dancers had amazing form and danced with such emotion that Rei could not forget it.

Hazuki cocks his head to the side. “You can do that in ballroom too.”

Rei frowns at Hazuki. “It isn’t the same.”

“Maybe not. But Haru-chan and Mako-chan can do it just as well. When they dance together, they’re beautiful.”

Rei doesn’t know who these ‘Haru-chan’ and ‘Mako-chan’ are, but he still can’t imagine them dancing better than professional ballet dancers. Especially not when it comes to conveying emotion. “You keep saying the people in your club dance beautifully.”

“They do!” Hazuki’s smile is bright and hopeful. “Maybe if you come to our practice, you’ll be able to see it.”

At that point, the train arrives, and Rei neglects to give an answer in favour of finding a train compartment far away enough that Hazuki won’t harass him on the way home. Still, he can’t help but think of his words, think of how there are reportedly ballroom dancers in their school who can convey emotion as beautifully as professional ballet dancers. He’s inclined not to believe it, but his mind keeps wondering.

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Rei finds himself outside of the club room again. As little as he wants to go inside and adhere to Hazuki’s wishes, his curiosity has gotten the better of him. He needs to see these dancers in action. Steeling himself up, he slides the door open again.

This time, Hazuki is drinking water when Rei enters. He almost spits it out when he sees him. “Rei-chan, you came!”

“I am only here to observe,” Rei says, sitting down on the same seat as last time. “I need to see for myself if what you told me is true.”

Hazuki’s smile is almost brighter than the lights in the room, and Rei wonders if that energy is present when he dances, as well. “I’m glad! The others should be here soon, so don’t worry about having to wait long.”

Only a few seconds after Hazuki says this does the door open, revealing three figures. The first is a rather tall second-year student with brown hair and gentle green eyes. He doesn’t look as though he has gentle or precise footsteps. The second is a girl with long red hair who Rei recognises is in his year. The third has black hair and looks like he was also forced to come here.

“Hey, Nagisa,” the first boy says before he notices Rei. “And who’s this?” he asks, though there is a flash of familiarity in his eyes.

Rei stands and bows formally. “My name is Ryugazaki Rei. Hazuki-kun invited me to observe your practice session for today. I hope you do not mind my intrusion.”

When he stands straight again, he notices that the boy is smiling at him.

“Hi, Ryugazaki. My name is Tachibana Makoto. It’s nice to meet you.”

So this must be the ‘Mako-chan’, then. Perhaps the girl is his partner-

“I’m Matsuoka Gou,” the girl says. Confusion seeps into Rei’s pores. If she isn’t ‘Haru-chan’, then who is-

“Nanase Haruka,” the other boy says.

Rei’s eyes widen. He hasn’t heard of two boys being dance partners before, not in ballroom. Perhaps this is a usual practice in ballroom dancing that he hasn’t heard of. It seems odd, and Rei isn’t sure what to think of it.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Rei says, remembering his manners and bowing once more. Then he sits back down, letting the club begin their practice.

They begin with stretches, then they get into two pairs - Tachibana with Nanase, and Hazuki with Matsuoka. It occurs to Rei that the club doesn’t actually have any more members than this. That’s probably why Nanase and Tachibana have to dance together.

They start dancing around the room to a song from a much larger speaker than Rei’s small one. Rei doesn’t recognise the type of dance, but it looks formal and not too difficult. It’s elegant, Rei can tell that much, but his interest isn’t much into this.

As he watches, he notices that all of the dancers here are actually quite talented. It’s difficult not to notice the precise movements of Matsuoka Gou, who almost looks as though she is leading the dance with Hazuki. Her movements are well-practised, probably committed to muscle-memory by this point. That isn’t to say that Hazuki isn’t talented, either. He actually looks rather mature, smiling as he twists around the room with his partner.

Tachibana and Nanase, on the other hand, look perfectly matched. Rather than one being a leader and the other a follower, they look balanced, going at the same pace. They dance effortlessly, as though they have danced together for years rather than out of circumstance. He even notices a small smile on Nanase’s face as he looks over Tachibana’s right shoulder at the ceiling.

Even though Rei’s interests lie with ballet, he can’t help but feel a little intrigued by the dancing of these four people. They are talented, though at the moment they do not scratch the surface of what ballet artists can do. This dance looks rather simple, so it would make sense that even a beginner could learn this.

Once the song ends, Hazuki and Matsuoka head over to where Rei sits whilst Tachibana fiddles with the stereo.

“What did you think?” Hazuki says, looking a little tired but happy.

“It was good.”

“It better have been,” Matsuoka says, her hair falling a little from its ponytail. “Or maybe you’ve not been practising enough?”

Hazuki shrinks from her accusing glare. “We have! Just because you’re a national champion doesn’t mean you can boss us around too much.”

Wait. National champion?

Matsuoka must notice Rei’s amazed stare. She smiles at him. “My brother and I came first in a national youth competition when we were younger. It’s his dream to perform in the world championships.”

This must be the professional Hazuki was talking about the other day. That explains why she danced so effortlessly and powerfully.

“We’ve all danced since we were pretty young,” Hazuki says, “but Gou-chan and Rin-chan are the only ones who’ve competed at nationals.”

Rin must be Gou’s brother. “I didn’t realise.”

Hazuki grins. “That’s why we started this club. There wasn’t already one here, and we’re all passionate about it.”

Suddenly, a piece of music begins to play. Hazuki and Matsuoka sit beside Rei, no more words spoken.

In the centre of the room, Tachibana holds his hand out towards Nanase, his back straight but smile gentle. His eyes are glistening with something Rei cannot identify from this distance.

Nanase glides into Tachibana’s arms and into position. They fit perfectly together, their bodies aligning to create the perfect posture. Even though they are both male, they look natural together. Then again, Rei has never had anything about same-sex relationships, and would enter one if he felt feelings for someone of the same gender. Still, he's never seen two males dance together before today.

On the first beat of the verse, they begin. The dance is quicker than Rei had anticipated, but neither of the dancers seem to notice. They glide across the floor, twirling and taking steps in patterns Rei has never seen before. In a moment, they transform the disused classroom into a grand ballroom, the height of culture, filled with beauty and splendour. Their dance is filled with a feeling which Rei cannot place right now, only knows by the warmth creeping through him and the way his breath hitches.

No one speaks, all taken away by Nanase and Tachibana’s spell, the beauty of that constant spinning. Occasionally they break hold for Nanase to spin under Tachibana’s arm, or for them to perform side-by-side. At the end, they pivot around the room so many times that Rei begins to feel dizzy, spinning and spinning until they reach a perfect end without stumbling or losing balance. Their hold falls as they grasp each other’s faces, looking into each other’s eyes tenderly before joining foreheads as the music fades to an end.

Hazuki and Matsuoka immediately applaud, and it takes a moment for Rei to return to the real world and to join them. He cannot believe he is thinking this, but Hazuki was right. That dance was beautiful. Filled with emotion, transporting him entirely to somewhere else - it reminds him of when he first saw ballet - but there’s something different about this. Something new. He cannot identify it, so he puts it aside in his head.

“Rei-chan?” Hazuki says, grabbing his attention. “What did you think?”

Rei looks to Hazuki, then up to Tachibana and Nanase, who stand nearby. What he truly thinks, the only words in his mind, is, ‘Can I learn to dance like that?’

Instead of saying that, he stands and bows formally. “I would like to request to join your dance club.”

He doesn’t see their surprise, but he hears the intake of breath from Nanase, the louder gasp from Hazuki.

“Of course you can join,” Tachibana says, happiness spreading throughout his tone. “We’d be happy to have you.”

Standing upright, he sees Nanase looking away, as though he isn’t interested. Tachibana and Matsuoka are smiling at each other, and Hazuki is looking right at him, his face brighter than the sun.

“You really mean it?” Hazuki says, hope in his voice.

“Yes,” Rei says, turning to face him. “Of course, as you were the one to initially invite me to the club, I expect you to take full responsibility, Nagisa-kun.” He feels himself blush as he says the name and looks away.

Nagisa gasps and jumps up from his seat, grabbing Rei in a hug. “Rei-chan!”

Rei is startled by the contact, but no matter how much he protests, Nagisa refuses to let go. In the end, Rei sighs and lets it happen. After all, it seems like there will only be more contact from here on in.

 

* * *

 

 

Surprisingly, Nagisa is a tough teacher.

“You need to loosen up, Rei-chan!” he calls over the music. Even as he watches Rei, he is dancing, and Rei almost envies his athletic ability.

“I’m trying,” Rei says. He gives a few more kicks, trying to make his feet flexible. It seems like the more he tries, the stiffer his feet feel.

Nagisa sighs and turns off the stereo. “Do you want to go through it again?”

Rei knows Nagisa is only trying to be helpful, but the question only makes him feel like he’s being a burden to Nagisa. “I understand the theory; it’s just trying to put it into practice.”

“Don’t be upset if you don’t get it first time,” Nagisa says. “The jive is a tough dance for beginners, especially if you danced ballet mostly.”

The jive so far is incredibly quick and agile, filled with an energy Rei can see in Nagisa but not in himself. When Nagisa demonstrated the dance with Gou, it looked amazing. Their footwork was so quick and their faces filled with excitement, but it looked effortless. Rei can’t imagine that he’d ever be up to their standard.

“It’s easier if you don’t try too hard, just like with real life,” Nagisa says, demonstrating another effortless kick. “Just pretend you’re shaking something off your shoe.”

Rei shakes his foot. It just looks limp and sad.

“That thing is stuck pretty hard to your shoe. You need to quickly kick your leg, but not your thigh.”

Using some more force, Rei kicks his lower leg. It’s better, but still not as sharp as Nagisa says the jive needs.

“When you kick, you need to retract really quickly.”

“I know,” Rei says under his breath, kicking with force and pulling his leg back more quickly.

“That’s a lot better!” Nagisa says, grinning. “You’re improving a lot, Rei-chan! Now let’s practice a few more.”

Most of their first lesson is spent perfecting the kick and learning the basic rock-chasse step combination. By the time they’re happy with that, it’s time for them to go home. Part of Rei is thankful for that - he doesn’t know if his legs can take much more energy for tonight. He doesn’t know how Nagisa is still bouncing around, congratulating his friends on their work for today.

“Good work, Rei,” Makoto says from beside him.

Rei turns and smiles politely at him. He and Makoto get on quite well now, since they are both quite sensible people. “Good work to you too, Makoto-senpai.”

“Your kick has definitely improved,” Makoto says. “I think you’ll be able to do a basic routine pretty soon.”

“Nagisa-kun is a good teacher,” Rei says. “Though it is hard work.”

Makoto laughs. “Yeah, learning the jive is pretty hard on your legs. It’s a great workout, though.”

“How many dances do you know?” It sounds like Makoto can dance just about every dance there is.

“We got taught a lot of basic routines when we were younger,” Makoto says. “I prefer ballroom over latin, though, so that’s what I spend most of my time on.”

“Like what you danced with Haruka-senpai yesterday,” Rei says.

“That was a Viennese waltz. One of my personal favourites.”

“I could tell you enjoyed it. Your dancing was superb.” Even though he doesn’t know much about any ballroom dances, this much he could see from their excellent footwork. It looked impossibly elegant.

Before Makoto can respond, Nagisa comes over.

“Rei-chan, shall we go?”

Nagisa has taken to walking alongside Rei home from school now, since they take the same train.

“Ah, yes. See you tomorrow, Makoto-senpai.” He bows his head to Makoto before giving the same greeting to Haruka and Gou. Then he leaves their makeshift dance studio, legs aching but his emotions surprisingly positive.

 

* * *

 

 

It takes a while before Rei learns the jive routine Nagisa has come up with. It’s mostly steps he recognises from his first day of training, but there are some trickier steps thrown in which he often forgets or messes up on. Although it helps when Nagisa is calling the names of the moves over the music.

“Rock step, chasse, chasse, rock step, toe heel swivel, toe heel swivel…”

Rei stumbles to keep up, kicking his feet and making sure each step is powered with the bounce action Nagisa keeps talking about. He keeps his eyes on Nagisa’s feet, which mirror his opposite him. They’re much more well-placed than his, much neater and still free and full of fun.

He looks up tentatively, keeping half an eye on the feet below him. Nagisa is grinning at him, face bright with life.

“You’re doing great, Rei-chan!” he says, kicking his feet without even needing to think about it.

Rei nods and looks back down to his feet. He feels his hands getting sweatier in Nagisa’s and hopes he doesn’t mind.

 

* * *

 

 

Nagisa doesn’t mind. In fact, he’s loving every second they spend dancing together. Even though Rei’s only just learning, it still feels fun to dance with him, especially now that Rei’s got the moves together. Now is probably the most fun part, though, since they can embellish their dance now.

When they finish practising, Nagisa tells Rei his plans. “Since you know the steps, it’s time to add in a few extra details so we can make this as fun as possible!”

“Details?” Rei repeats.

“Like hand actions, facial expressions, anything to make the dance come to life. You were talking about how you like that ballet dancers bring across emotion, right?” Nagisa remembers the conversation well. Rei had looked so passionate then, talking about what truly made him happy. His eyes had been bright and shining, and Nagisa couldn’t help but stare at them. Rei really is gorgeous.

“Yes, I remember.”

“Well we’re going to try that, but we’re gonna show we’re having fun,” Nagisa says with a grin. “Let’s work hard, Rei-chan!”

“Of course.” Rei smiles at him, looking determined.

Nagisa is surprised by how quickly Rei took to ballroom dancing. Even though he was appalled at first by Nagisa’s choice of dance (“The jive is hardly an elegant dance!”) he seems to have fallen in love with it now. He’s always smiling when he shows up to practice, and is always keen to work hard. It makes Nagisa feel proud. Not only is Rei good at dancing, but he also enjoys it, even though it isn’t ballet.

He can only imagine what they’ll achieve by the time the dance is complete.

 

* * *

 

 

The most difficult part of adding detail is trying not to forget his steps. Rei has a good memory, but there are a lot of components to remember in the jive, and he isn’t entirely sure if he’ll remember them all. When he thinks he’s doing well, Nagisa always tells him over the music, “Your hands are flat!” or “Don’t lose energy!” Then he tries to focus on that and loses his footing.

“Sorry, I distracted you,” Nagisa says one time after this happens.

“No, it’s my fault,” Rei says. “I’ll get it right this time.”

Rei never expected to become so determined to dance the jive well. At first, this was only a beginning dance meant for him to learn the basics. Now, he’s hooked. The dance is fun and fast, and though it’s a lot of work, it is the most fun he has at any point in the day. Dancing and smiling with Nagisa, flicking his feet and dancing with his whole body, it’s more fun than any other dancing he’s done before.

He still loves ballet, of course, but now he has a soft spot for ballroom and latin, too. For that, he can only thank Nagisa. After all, if Nagisa had never persuaded him to join their club, he would never have learnt to dance like this. He would never have had this much fun. He would never have felt this close to Nagisa.

Possibly that’s what surprises Rei the most about his experience. He and Nagisa’s personalities are quite different, but they mesh surprisingly well. He can’t help but smile when he dances with Nagisa, as though the fun and energy Nagisa expels are going into his system too. The light in Nagisa’s eyes when they dance is irresistible, too. A beautiful burgundy with sparks of pink light, full of joy. Every part of Nagisa’s face comes alive when they dance; eyebrows raising, grin widening, cheeks flushing with exertion. It’s a thought which slips through Rei’s mind a few times, one which he’s tried to wrangle and hide because of the connotations attached to it. He can’t deny it, though. Nagisa is beautiful.

 

* * *

 

 

It happens during their best dance practice.

The others have gone home for the day, leaving Nagisa and Rei for one last dance, one last shot at their routine before the night closes in. They set up Nagisa’s phone on a windowsill and set it to record so they can capture and review their routine later. Then they take to the floor, the beat beginning to pump in the background.

A moment later, their feet pump against the ground. They are swinging round the room, kicking and flicking and bringing the room to life. Transported, they are in the 1920s, dancing freely with no inhibitions. Spinning. Twisting. Hands connected, they travel within the song. They are the blaring trumpets, the syncopated beat, the lively melody. A fast section. Sudden slowness, then back to the quick footwork the jive is known best for. At the end, they bring out their big ending move. It’s something they practice when everyone else has left, mostly so they don’t accidentally injure someone with it. Rei lifts Nagisa into the air, twirling him before bringing him back to the floor, his arms still around him. Nagisa leans back in Rei’s arms, letting his own arms make the finishing pose, spread above his head.

Then it stops.

It takes them a moment before they stand upright, Nagisa giving Rei no time to recover before crashing into him with a hug, jumping in glee.

“We did it! Rei-chan, that was perfect!”

Rei feels his breath leave him completely, taken aback by the sudden comfort but not so much that he protests. Rather, he hugs Nagisa back, filled with excitement.

“Was it really?”

Nagisa draws back and puts his hands on Rei’s face. “Yes! It was perfect.”

Rei doesn’t know what makes him do it. Probably his excitement boiling over, causing him to forget to think before he does something. Without thinking, his arms wrapping more securely around Nagisa, he leans forward and presses his lips to Nagisa’s.

The moment he does it, he realises the mistake he’s made. How could he kiss someone who trusts him like that? Nagisa obviously wasn’t expecting a response like that, and he just took advantage of him. He’s ruined everything, and Nagisa will feel uncomfortable around him and won’t want to dance with him anymore and the thought crushes him more than he thought it would and he needs to pull away-

But Nagisa pulls him closer. Instead of pushing him away, Nagisa’s hands move to hang around Rei’s neck, pulling his upper body closer so they can kiss more easily. His lips press against Rei’s, their warmth spreading through him, and he wonders how those lips have any energy left after smiling for so long, both throughout their dance and before it. Those idle thoughts soon disappear and all he can think of is Nagisa, Nagisa’s warmth, Nagisa’s lips against his-

They pull away from each other at the same time, breathing heavily. Looking into each other’s eyes, they see the same feelings of excitement, awe, and uncertainty.

“That was…” Rei starts, trailing away when he can’t find a word.

“Perfect?” Nagisa suggests, and they laugh a little.

“I apologise for springing that on you,” Rei says a moment later. “That was rude of me.”

“It’s fine,” Nagisa says. He’s still smiling, though now it’s more gentle. “It was unexpected, but I liked it.”

Rei never expected he would ever feel this way about someone, like his chest is about to burst. But he feels that way now, looking at Nagisa. “Me too.”

“Do you want to go again?” Nagisa says.

Rei doesn’t need to ask to know that Nagisa isn’t talking about their jive. “Of course.”

In the setting sunlight of the disused classroom, their lips meet once more, smiling into their second kiss as the energy of their jive settles around them.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Footnotes:  
> -I don't have ballet experience, so sorry if any of the terms Rei uses aren't accurate.  
> -The dance they perform in a group is a foxtrot. Contrary to Rei's belief, this one's actually pretty complex!  
> -Makoto and Haru's dance is a Viennese Waltz, most likely to [A Thousand Years by Christina Perri](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtOvBOTyX00). As complex as it may look, the Viennese Waltz only has a few technical moves: natural turns, reverse turns, fleckerls, and contra checks being the ones that come to mind.  
> -Nagisa and Rei's dance is a jive, which probably should not be the first dance you teach an absolute beginner. All of the moves mentioned are actual jive moves (if you need any explained, let me know!). As I wrote this, I kept listening to [Candyman by Christina Aguilera](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ScjucUV8v0).
> 
>  
> 
> Follow me at [randomactuallywrites-57](http://randomactuallywrites-57.tumblr.com) on tumblr | [@randomwriter57](http://twitter.com/randomwriter57) on twitter!


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